Loyalty is Loathing
by P0k3r Face
Summary: What would happen if somepony DID win the running of the leaves? Somepony we know very, very well.. T for Death! YAY DEATH! Sorry. XD Part of a series :D ITS SO LONG -falls to knees- Please R and R.. i mean.. if you want..


**A/N:** 10 pages in two days. What am I, a mashugana?

**Loyalty is Loathing**

**Poker Face**

"Only 'cause you cheated!" Applejack yelled, staring up in the sky at her competitive pegasus friend and foe, Rainbow Dash.

"What?" The cyan Pegasus blinked, swooping down to level herself with the southern earth pony. How dare she accuse her of doing such a thing? Maybe she had stretched the rules a little bit.. but_ cheating_? It wasn't in the Rainbow Dash code. It just wasn't. Her orange friend raised her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth turning down just a little bit. The two hot-headed mares had just completed an Iron Pony Competition- a battle to see which pony was the most athletic. The orange cowpony had started off the first 10 rounds tied with her rainbow-maned competitor, but started to notice her friend.. stretching the rules a little bit.. with her wings.

"You used your wings to help you win over _half_ those races!" Applejack snapped, straightening her hat with her right hoof. She wasn't about to back out of this argument. Not even close. Rainbow Dash frowned, her face twisting in shock.

"You never said I **couldn't** use my wings!" Rainbow exclaimed, frowning. She felt a pang of… guilt? The colourful pony shook it off, quickly conjuring up an excuse to help her. _It's true! She never said I couldn't. _But she knew that it was a loophole, and she knew that she was supposed to know better than to take advantage of their indifferences. Applejack sighed, biting her lip a little.

"I didn't think I _needed_ to tell you to play fair!" The orange cowpony couldn't believe her best friend would do something like this. Rainbow Dash was a good pony, and she might do some things that were out-of-line, but… cheating? That wasn't like her.

After bantering back and forth for a while, Applejack seemed to have the upper hand in the argument.

"If you think you would've won without your wings.." Applejack looked down, deep in thought. Suddenly, she perked up with her ears pricked. Rainbow Dash took a step back. Applejack probably had an idea, and ideas from Applejack weren't the best..

"I challenge you to race me in the running of the leaves tomorrow! But the point is to _run_. No wings allowed!" Applejack smirked, her face smug. Rainbow couldn't say no.

"Alright! You're on!" The blue Pegasus spat onto her hoof, holding it out. Applejack did the same, and they shook. Rainbow Dash grinned and blew a raspberry, sending spit flying into Applejacks eye. Though competitive on the outside, both had one thought pricking the back of their minds like a loose splinter: _This isn't going to end well._

Rainbow Dashes eyes fluttered open, filled with excitement. Her dreams had been filled with vivid images of her and Applejack racing at the Running of the leaves, of course with her winning each time and leaving Applejack in the dust. _Inevitably that's going to happen..! _She leaned forward, stretching her hooves towards the sky and yawning. She got up and did her morning routine, which consisted of some basic yoga and stretches, taking a quick shower to relax and having breakfast. Today, however, she wasn't feeling very hungry, so she just took a half a cup of cereal and a shot of milk._ I'm going to beat AJ so hard Big Macintosh will feel it!_ She grinned, her eyes lidded. She checked a clock on her wall. 5:45am. _The race doesn't start for another hour! I should go practice at the course to get a feel of it._ She opened the door of her cloud home and began the journey.

_**Meanwhile..**_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"_Whoa!" _Applejack fell out of bed, awoken by the sound of her alarm clock. Was it morning already? It had been a long night, her sleep had been troubled with nightmares of losing the Running of the leaves to Rainbow Dash, being mocked by her and her other four best friends for the rest of her life..

_But that won't happen, Applejack!_ Getting off of the floor, she opened her eyes. She scolded herself, walking to the bathroom to wash up. She was swaying from side to side a little bit, still under the influence of sleep deprivation. _Yer going to beat her. It's really not gon' be that hard, hm? I mean, she ain't goin' to have the use o' her wings. _She picked up her toothbrush with a hoof and began to brush back and forth with even strokes. Since she was little, Applejack had found brushing her teeth a time to think over things, and it comforted her to have solitude. _So how am I gonna' win this..? _The earth pony ran through different running strategies she had picked up running with her big brother and her grandmother. _I suppose ah could use that sprinting tactic that I learned with Bic Mac the other day.. Well, however this turns out, I just hope she dusn't cheat t'day! _She put the brush down and spat in her sink, making her way downstairs to have breakfast.

"Morning Applejack!" Big Macintosh grinned, waving a ruby red hoof at his sister. He was seated at the round ebony table that the Apple family had breakfast at every morning, chewing away on a bowl of cereal.

"M..mor.. mornin' AJ..!" A frail-statured, lime green pony gave her best attempt to wave at her granddaughter. Applejack frowned. Granny Smith was getting older and frailer by the day. The pony that had been raising her since she was a filly was losing her life. The orange earth pony knew her grandmother was going to be leaving them sooner or later..

"Morning Big Mac. Morning Granny." The cowmare smiled, nodding to her grandmother and brother in turn. _I'm going to win the race. For you, Granny Smith._ The green pony winked at her.

"..Y-you've.. got t-to win the.. the race. For me..! I-I'll make you some ap-ple pie if y.. you do.." Granny Smith smiled, nodding at a pair of blue oven mitts resting on the counter beside the stove. _Apple pie?_ It had always been Applejacks favorite food. After all, Granny Pie had been making it for her as a treat ever since she was a filly, and whenever she saw, smelled or tasted the food, a wave of nostalgia took over her and she thought instantly of her grandma.

After having a quick slice of cold apple pie(even when it was cold it was still delicious) and some eggs and toast for breakfast, Applejack quickly checked the time. It was almost 7:30am.

"Oh hayseeds!" Applejack frowned, dashing out the door. "I've gotta go!"

Rainbow Dash's hooves touched down at the racing grounds just in time to see the ponies line up at the starting line. Spotting a orange-and-hay figure in the crowd, Rainbow Dash trotted over to Applejack and knocked her hat off with a hoof.

"Ready to win **2****nd**place today, Applejack?" The Pegasus grinned. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"I'm ready to run a good, _clean_ race!" Applejack frowned, staring at Rainbow Dash intently. Rainbow Dash muttered something and blinked slowly, tilting her head towards the cowpony.

"You are _not_ allowed to use your wings!"

"I could win this race with both wings tied behind my back." Rainbow Dash challenged, taking a step towards Applejack angrily. _Now there's an idea. _Applejack laughed to herself, shaking off the thought of the Pegasus with her wings literally tied back with a rope.

"Alright ponies, are you ready?" Pinkie Pie's voice boomed through the speakers. She had been designated the official announcer for the Running of the Leaves and wasn't about to let anypony down!

"On your marks.. get set.." Pinkie reached over and rang the bell sitting in the corner of her hot air balloon basket. Everypony at the starting line shot off, with an orange earth pony in the lead with a blue Pegasus not that far off behind her. Applejack went ahead and made a good lead, going a few hundred feet in front of her main opponent.

"Ha!" She kicked up dust in Rainbows Face before sprinting out of sight.

A good halfway through the race, nothing much had gone wrong. Applejack had kept her place at the lead, but Rainbow Dash was closing in on her. The finish line was close now, and the cowpony didn't intend to give up her spot. _For you, Granny Smith._

Rainbow had done her best to catch up, but her stomach was growling and she suddenly felt lightheaded. _I'm so hungry! I should've had a better breakfast.. oh Celestia. _The ground started to sway under her. _No! I have to focus! I'm almost caught up with her!_ Rainbow Dash was a good 10 meters behind her friend, but she knew she could catch up. _Push it!_ She sprinted harder than ever before, rushing forward and closing her eyes.

"Consarnit!" Applejack growled, Rainbow Dash pulling up beside her. _The finish line is literally in my line of sight! How am ah going to get ahead now? Oh yeah! The sprinting method. _AJ slowed down, breaking into a trot, and let Rainbow Dash get ahead of her. _Why's she so slow all of a sudden? Oh well, I'm __**winning**__! _Rainbow thought, running a little bit lopsided. _I'm so tired.. But I'll make it! _Applejack waited a few seconds, just long enough for Rainbow Dash to let her guard down, before speeding forward and passing her, keeping the pace until she was back in the lead. Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in surprise. _No! I've got to get there! _She sprinted so hard, so fast..I_'m going to make it! I'll pass her! _The last three steps to the finish line were neck and neck for Rainbow Dash and Applejack.. until Rainbow Dash started seeing spots. _Oh, Celestia.._

And then she blacked out.

* * *

><p>"Heh heh, Rainbow. You sure did look funny when you fell." Rainbow Dash blinked open her eyes sleepily, only seeing a pair of emerald eyes and nothing more. She felt like she was laying on some sort of bed, and her head was resting on a rather uncomfortable pillow. The Pegasus was cold. Shivering, in fact.<p>

"I fell?" Rainbow asked drowsily, leaning away from Applejack. Looking around, she saw she was in a white room, on a hospital bed. Four seats in the corner of the room were occupied by her three other friends: Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. One of the seats however, was empty. _I miss Fluttershy_.. The Pegasus thought, shaking her head to clear it.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie leaped out of her seat, jumping around and whooshing in circles.

"You were all- 'Mnnnnrrrr.. vroom.. vroom!' And then you were like 'P-ptuh ptuh ptuh WHOoo..'" The magenta earth pony slowed down and fell on her side, legs twitching erratically. Then she jumped to her feet and rushed over to Rainbow.

"So the doctor ponies came and then we took you to the hospital! See, see, **see**? We were all soo worried! But now you're alright!" Pinkie laughed, hugging Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus nickered and wriggled out of her friends tight grip. Twilight and Rarity got to their feet, walking calmly towards Rainbow.

"Darling, we were so worried! I'm extremely grateful you're alright. I was afraid we were going to lose another friend..!" Rarity smiled, her blue eyes filled with grief. Everypony in the room remembered very well how thoughtlessly Fluttershy had given her life to help the rest of them..

"Yeah, Rainbow! I'm glad you get to see daylight again." Twilight chuckled, and Applejack tousled Rainbow Dashes forelock.

"I thought ya'll were actin' a little odd today, Rainbow." She laughed, jumping off the table and joining her other three friends. "You feeling a'ight?" The cowpony frowned.

"Y-yeah.. but my head hurts." Rainbow muttered, rubbing her temples with her hooves. "By the way, who won the race?"

"Ya'lls truly." AJ grinned, winking at the blue mare and tilting her head. Rainbow Dashes mouth dropped in shock. "You?" _How could Applejack win! I didn't want this to happen! This wasn't supposed to happen! No, no, no! _Rainbow Dashes eyes began to water.

"Dash? Sugarcube, what's wrong?" Applejack took a step towards the Pegasus, but got pushed away. A sobbing cyan pony shot out of the hospital room and flew out the door. _This is all Applejacks fault. If she hadn't made me enter.. I wouldn't have lost! I hate losing. I __**hate**__ it! _Rainbow was now angry more than sad. Landing in her cloud home, she began pacing back and forth in front of her couch. _Grr.. I'm such a loser!_ Her ears folded back and her expression softened. _I'm a loser with no life! I can't even win a race against an __**earth pony**__! _Rainbow Dash jumped onto her couch, buried her face in a pillow and sobbed.

* * *

><p>Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Rarity exchanged looks of surprise, confusion and worry all at once.<p>

"..what just happened?" Applejack asked, her southern accent dripping like thick honey. Twilight frowned, looking around. Rainbow Dash had left.. she had been crying.. Since when? Oh, when Applejack mentioned her win. A couple of gears clicked in Twilights head.

"I think that Rainbow Dash is mad.. or maybe upset.. because you won." The purple unicorn nosed Rarity's shoulder.

"What do you think?"

"I think the poor dear is mentally ill!" Rarity pouted, shuffling her hooves. If Rainbow Dash was indeed on the brink of insanity, then this situation was either going to turn out very well.. or terribly. Twilight considered Rarity's opinion for about a millisecond before brushing it off.

"Applejack, you've got to go and talk to her! She's your friend." Twilight grabbed Applejack's hooves and proceeded to drag her out of the hospital room, leaving the white-and-purple mare behind.

"Have fu-un!" Rarity smirked, trotting off to get back to Carousel Boutique to work on a new dress design she had in mind: One that used real plant leaves! Ooh, she couldn't wait to get it done…

Purple unicorn and Orange earth pony made their way to Rainbow Dash's home in the clouds, Twilight using her magic to levitate Applejack onto the cobblestone driveway. _What should ah do?_ Applejack glanced around awkwardly, looking for a door or something to knock on. _Ah, screw it._ The orange mare took in a deep breath, then called out as loudly as she could:

"_**RAINBOW DASH**_! Get your patootey out here!" She tried to force her way through the wall of cloud to no avail. A muffled, hollow wail was heard, ringing in Applejacks ears. _Wus that Rainbow..? Nah, couldn't be. _But still, the apple-bucking earth pony felt a little bit of guilt rise up her throat in a lump. _'t sounded like her.._

"Twilight! Can yuh pull me up higher?" AJ called down, looking at Twilight expectantly. She heard a quiet response, then felt herself begin to levitate, glowing with a pink aura. She was almost at a window.. _A little more.. There! _She wriggled inside, sending puffs of condensed water up with her hind legs. Landing with a **thump** on the floor, she began searching for her technicolour friend. Applejack muttered her name, trying to listen out for her more than call her. After stepping down onto the second floor of the house, she began to hear something.. heavy breathing, coughing, and maniacal laughter.. _She __**is**__ crying! _Applejack rushed forward, galloping towards the source of the noise.

"Rainbow? Rainnnnbooow?" Applejack entered a room, probably Rainbow Dashes bedroom. It was blank, except for a rainbow puddle here and there and a fluffy cloud bed in the center of the room. A couple of Pony Gaga and Hilary Fluff posters hung on the walls, and a small cloud-patterned dresser sat in one corner. But the one off thing about the room was that Applejack could hear somepony muttering to herself.. _Rainbow!_ Applejack stared at the bed, noticing a lump under the covers. The cowpony pulled the rainbow duvet off of the bed and staring at the horrid sight in front of her. Rainbow Dash was curled up, her eyes flickering open and closed, one more dilated than the other. Her hair was messy and tousled, bangs falling in front of her face. The rest of her mane and tail wasn't much better, knotted and damp with tears. Saltwater ran down Rainbow Dashes cheeks, the corners of her mouth curled up in a maniac smile. A small puddle had formed under her, her front hooves drenched in tears. Her usually bright mane was slightly desaturated, looking silvery and grayish. Applejack nudged her friend, frowning. Was she really that upset about not being able to finish the race?

"Rainbow, get up." Applejack tugged on Rainbow Dash's tail, dragging her to the edge of the bed. She felt the slightest resistance from her, then felt the rainbow tail being torn out of her grasp.

"No." She coughed out the words through her tears, inching away from her and back into the puddle of tears.

"Rainbow, _get_ –mmph- uph!" AJ grabbed her friend's tail again, pulling her out of the bed completely.

"I said **NO!"**Rainbow Dash kicked Applejack in the face, sending the orange cowpony flying across the room. AJs face was throbbing, the most swollen spot on her forehead was the mark of a horseshoe. A little blood and pus poured out of the wound, and Applejacks face was completely shocked. Rainbow Dash, however, looked grim and reserved. Applejack gently reached up with a hoof, feeling her forehead.

"You really just did that, didn't ya'?" Applejack slowly walked out of the room, keeping one eye closed to accommodate her throbbing and swollen forehead.

Rainbow Dash trembled, eyes darting from side to side. _I'm nothing but a loser. I lost to her, I lost now. She deserved that kick in the face!_ The Pegasus pondered this for a while, the adrenaline leaving her veins and the realization of actual reality ebbed in. _I just kicked my best friend.. In the face. _Images of her friends gruesome wound bore their way into her head. _Oh my gosh.. Oh my gosh.. _Rainbow Dash found tears squeezing their way out of her eyes, stinging her raw cheeks. _I'm such an idiot!_ The cyan mare shook her head, trying to clear it. _This is just a dream.. just a dream.. ! It's going to end soon. I'm going to wake up..!_

* * *

><p>"Okay sweetie, you've got us all here. Now tell us, what's the matter? And- <em>Uahh-hhahh-ahh<em>!" Rarity squealed, finally turning to look at Applejack and seeing the terrible damage on her forehead. Twilight grimaced, her forehead hurt suddenly. Pinkie Pie's nose curled up, her face surprised and disgusted at the same time. The gang had been gathered by Applejack in Twilights den, for a 'super secret meeting'.

"What happened to you?" They all said in unison, Pinkie Pie leaning forward to stare AJ in the eyes. Applejack pushed Pinkie Pie's face away, looking down.

"Rainbow Dash kicked me." Twilight raised an eyebrow, thinking. That was quite unlike Rainbow Dash..

"Are you sure it was her?" Applejack looked at her dismissively, ignoring the stupid question.

"Why?" Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped, her face wide in astonishment.

Applejack then proceeded to explain the situation and everything so far that had happened to her between her and Rainbow. All of the ponies in front of her had expressions of shock at first, but then they changed to disbelief and then finally downright bafflement.

"Rainbow Dash really did that? I never knew she was such a sore loser!" Rarity observed, thinking.

"Rarity! What a thing to say!" Twilight rebuked her, giving her a signature 'You're-being-dumb' glare. The ponies erupted into conversation, everypony talking at once,

Pinkie Pie bit her lip, her eyes glistening. "Did my pranky-buddy Rainbow Dashie _really_ hurt Applejack like that?" She muttered, mostly to herself, staring at her orange friend. "I hope we don't lose her like we lost Fluttershy.."

"So, what do we do?" Applejack demanded, staring from friend to friend desperately.

"I think that _you_ need to go ahead and fix this on your own. Your problem should stay your problem!" Rarity muttered, her face unreadable. "Although, if you want my advice- I think that you should just talk to her about it!"

"Yeah! How hard can it be?" Pinkie Pie grinned, optimistically patting Applejack on the back.

"Alright, I'll do it!"

Rainbow Dash was still curled up in a ball, twitching eratically. _It's a nightmare.. It's going to end soon.. I __**need**__ it to end soon.. It's going to.. it's going to.._ She flinched when she heard a thud and her bedroom window slam shut.

"Rainbow.. We need to talk." A southern accent.. oh no. Rainbow Dash got up and slowly walked to another room, opening the door to one of the many balconies in her cloud home and trotted through. The whole way, a muscular orange pony galloped behind her, struggling to catch up.

"**Rainbow!**" Applejack leaped forward and pinned her down, forcing eye contact. Rainbow however, still refused to look a t her friend. She muttered something quietly.

"What's that?" Applejack strained to hear, leaning down to listen to the cyan mare.

"I want this nightmare to end." Rainbow Dash mumbled, looking down. Applejack was getting annoyed now.

"What the hay girl! Just say it!"

"**I WANT THIS NIGHTMARE TO END!**" Rainbow Dash screamed, leaping off of Applejack.

"Now don't be like that, sugarcube.." Her expression softened. Rainbow was trembling.. not a good sign.

"I hate losing.. I'm just a loser.. I don't want to live in this nightmare anymore if I can't win…" Rainbow Dash mumbled, getting up and fluttering her wings. _What is she doing.._ Applejack thought, watching her uneasily. Rainbow Dash edged over to the railing of the balcony, landing on it with precise balance. Her wings stopped flapping, and she began to flex her legs. Up, down, up, down. The movement was making Applejack sick.

"What exactly are ya'll tryin' to do?" Applejack demanded, stepping forward.

"Get away!" Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack, moving too quickly. Her legs slipped on the balcony and Applejack watched in horror as her friend silently tumbled

Down

Down

Down

Until she landed on the ground with a sickening

**THUD.**

"Rainbow!" Applejack ran down to meet her friend as fast as she could, finding her cyan body cold, unmoving and lifeless. Blood was oozing out of her mouth, and her body was covered in scratches. One of her back legs seemed to be bent at an odd angle, and bone splinters lay on the floor everywhere. A quiet 'no' escaped her lips, her eyebrows lowering in mourning.

"Applejack.." She heard a quiet moan from.. Rainbow Dash! "I'm happy now.. I won.."

"N-no! Stay with me, Rainbow! It didn't have to be this way, i- it was just ah race!" Applejack shook her friend, but all the Pegasus did was shake her head.

"The nightmares gone now, Applejack. I won.." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, her body going limp once more. Applejack lay down next to her friend, curling up beside her. The cowmare lay her head on the pegasuses neck, closing her eyes slowly.

Together, they spent the night there.

**AN: **YAAAAAAAAAAY almost 4k words. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn that took forever. XD Poker OUT


End file.
